gibbons
11-26-2012, 09:22 PM
My car is 9 years old and has 105K miles. I noticed the crankshaft front main seal was leaking, based on spray off the timing belt onto the top cowling. I decided I am at the point in life where I can pay someone else who does it for a living do it for me, so I took it in to the dealer. I really liked the tech. I told him if there was the slightest sign of water pump weeping, replace it. And, check my PCV system and if it was stuffy causing the seals to leak, do whatever it took to resolve it. Wow, I have never let anyone do work like this on my cars. I have been known to replace transaxle clutches, swap big block V8's and stuff like that, but not this time.
In less than a day, with a free loaner car, I got the belt and all seals done for $1100. The tech, their main guy, said nothing else was needed, my PCV system was great from using Mobile 1, and the water pump was dry. Cool! Yeah, I know when you're in there, do the pump like I used to with my Honda timing belts, but the tech says they replace about 10% on a belt. And if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Heck, with my luck, a new one would be defective.
A couple of days laters, I had a puddle of fluid under my car. It didn't taste like motor oil or antifreeze or brake fluid, I couldn't identify it. I put my car on the lift and traced it to the hose input on the power steering pump. Rats! But at least it wasn't a leaky motor seal that didn't fix right. I was so lazy I didn't even want to trouble shoot the leak, so I just took the car back. They took it right into the bay, and found a loose hose clamp. Doh! The tech said when they do the timing belt, they pull the PS reservoir aside, which loosened an aging hose barbed connection. Made sense to me. He was extremely apologetic, but I told him I understand stuff happens. No worries.
Soooo... a few weeks later, I am satisfied, the car runs nicely and doesn't leak anything. All in all, I think it was worth the extra to take it to the dealer where I was treated very well, instead of an indy shop for a couple of hundred less, or worse do a couple of day science fair project in my garage without the magic tools to do the cam seals.
But it wasn't very manly to let someone else mess with my car!
In less than a day, with a free loaner car, I got the belt and all seals done for $1100. The tech, their main guy, said nothing else was needed, my PCV system was great from using Mobile 1, and the water pump was dry. Cool! Yeah, I know when you're in there, do the pump like I used to with my Honda timing belts, but the tech says they replace about 10% on a belt. And if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Heck, with my luck, a new one would be defective.
A couple of days laters, I had a puddle of fluid under my car. It didn't taste like motor oil or antifreeze or brake fluid, I couldn't identify it. I put my car on the lift and traced it to the hose input on the power steering pump. Rats! But at least it wasn't a leaky motor seal that didn't fix right. I was so lazy I didn't even want to trouble shoot the leak, so I just took the car back. They took it right into the bay, and found a loose hose clamp. Doh! The tech said when they do the timing belt, they pull the PS reservoir aside, which loosened an aging hose barbed connection. Made sense to me. He was extremely apologetic, but I told him I understand stuff happens. No worries.
Soooo... a few weeks later, I am satisfied, the car runs nicely and doesn't leak anything. All in all, I think it was worth the extra to take it to the dealer where I was treated very well, instead of an indy shop for a couple of hundred less, or worse do a couple of day science fair project in my garage without the magic tools to do the cam seals.
But it wasn't very manly to let someone else mess with my car!